These are the basics of coupon stacking. Stores may have slightly different rules so be sure to check their policy. I often carry store policies in my coupon binder, it saves a lot of time arguing with cashiers about what is okay and what isn’t. The two stores that allow stacking are London Drugs & Save On Foods.

In general, coupons can be stacked when they are for the same item but have a different UPC (barcode). The dollar values can be the same or different, it doesn’t matter. Here’s an example:

Dove product is on sale for $4.99, I have 3 coupons for that dove product

$2 off any dove product UPC 1234567

$2 off any dove product UPC 8901234

$1 off any dove product UPC 5678901

The above three coupons can be used together to purchase 1 dove product, the product itself will then be free however you will still have to pay the GST.

The coupons cannot be “store specific”. There are places such as Superstore that put out their own coupons. These coupons cannot be used in stacks at other stores. They are only to be used at Superstore. The exception to this is when the store says they will accept competitor coupons.

You will notice that the value of the above coupons total $5 while the product is only $4.99. Typically a store is supposed to adjust the coupon value to match the product price. They would likely change the value of your $1 coupon to $0.99 so you will get exactly $4.99 off the price.

There is a lot of fine print on the coupons and many have recently changed their wording to make coupon stacking much more complicated. A thorough understanding of these words will save you time and hassle at the checkout so make sure you have read your coupons before trying to use them. A coupon that says “cannot be combined with any other offer” is acceptable to use in a stack. A coupon that clearly states “cannot be combined with any other coupon” cannot be used in a stack.

When stacking at London Drugs they suggest going to the customer service desk with your purchases. Save On Foods does not yet have this request but they are fairly new to the stacking world so that may change. I try to be courteous when approaching with my cart. If there is a lady behind me with one item to return then I’ll let her go first before I start my coupon escapade.

When you are organizing your coupons to go out stacking I suggest the following, it makes it easier on both you and the cashier if you are organized!

Paperclip your stacks together

Circle or highlight the expiration date

Put your items on the counter with the coupon stack on top of the item

Keep an eye on the register! If an item or coupon is entered incorrectly it’s much easier to correct it then

Be nice to the cashiers! We are very fortunate to have these 2 stores that will allow stacking, if there is a disagreement over a coupon simply ask for a manager to double check it or whip out your handy dandy coupon policy. This will generally clear up any troubles

Please PLEASE don’t clear the shelves. The quickest way to irritate a store manager is to empty the product off the shelf. It’s very exciting when you realize you have enough coupons to get 10 tubes of toothpaste for free. If there is only 10 on the shelf please limit yourself to 5 or so. When you take your order to the till simply mention to the cashier that you would like all 10 but didn’t want to empty the shelf. They may check to see if there is more in the back.

If you must have 30 of one item be prepared in advance. Contact the manager as soon as you see the flyer and ask them to order extra. Most often they are happy to do it